“One life is all we have and we live it as we believe in living it. But to sacrifice what you are and to live without belief, that is a fate more terrible than dying.” -Joan of ArcRegardless of what intrinsic differences any person or group of people have from another, everyone deserves to be treated as an individual, afforded the same opportunities to pursue their passions, goals and dreams, and evaluated on the merits of their performance. Although this is not yet the way the world works, I am confident that many strides are consistently being made in the right direction, and I was overjoyed earlier this year when I came across the following international news story.Image credit: The Express Tribune with the International Herald Tribune, http://tribune.com.pk/.I felt a personal connection to this story since astrophysics is my specialty, and it’s important for everyone to see more examples that great scientists in general come from all backgrounds, races, religions, countries, and genders. If you have a passion to be a scientist, I’ve always encouraged everyone to follow it and become whatever it is you want to, to the best of your abilities.But this story was ...